Men are from Mars, women are from Venus — or so we were told by psychologist John Gray in his bestselling paean to gender stereotypes. But do wine-buying habits reduce psycho-theories to dust and reunite us? I conducted an informal poll of 15 men and women of varying wine interests to find out what enters their minds when facing a wall full of wine. I found out — gasp! — we’re all pretty much the same.

Seeking Advice from Retailers

Although asking for directions isn’t manly, both sexes seek advice from wine retailers. Marty Young, a computer geek, observes, “My girlfriend tends to ask about flavor: ‘Do you have an oak-y red with chocolate tones?’ But I shop by varietal and region: ‘Can you recommend a Chilean Cabernet?’ I think that is probably because, in classic male fashion, I flatter myself that I know what a Chilean Cab should taste like.”

Susan Edwards, an editor, confesses her bumbling humbleness, “I wish I could say I always make a list based on what my favorite wine writers have recently recommended, but the best I can do is hazily remember the topic and ask the person at the wine store which ones they recommend.”

One thing stood out: Men didn’t trust the retailers as much. Computer-systems troubleshooter Paul Hart admits, “I like [store-owner recommendations], but only after I get to know the owner. Are they just moving inventory or are they truly interested in meeting my expectations?” Tom Chandler, a project manager, notes, “If I am in a wine store, I usually try to squeeze the owner to hear what he likes but not particularly what he sells a lot of.”

Oooh Pretty

Some wineries openly admit they package their crappy wines in eye-catching bottles, and women fall for it more often. Amber Abram, a manager, confesses, “[I’m] totally a sucker for wine-label art and even the color/shape of the bottle. I figure if they have a sense of humor, the wine can’t be bad either.” Artist Katy Alderman says, “I am drawn to certain labels. That doesn’t necessarily mean I’ll buy the wine because of the label, but I often find myself asking about the wines with the intriguing labels.” Looking beyond beauty for once, men tend to study the labels to glean more information. Winery rep Bob Kreisher: “The other day, I chose between two Argentinean malbecs. Same price. One said its grapes come from two specific high-altitude vineyards. The other one didn’t specify. I chose the one that specified.”

The Price Factor

Believe it or not, price doesn’t dominate, but it does influence the final decision. Museum maven Simone Bennett says, “I’m willing to pay a lot more for a wine that I know is good. But if I’m exploring a new wine, I’m a little bit more frugal.” Tom Wagner, a photographer, admits, “When memory fails (as it usually does), I fall to looking for [shelf tags with wine-magazine ratings] and affordable prices. I figure if an expert (at least someone clever enough to get paid to rate wines) says something is better than others, far be it for me to disagree.” Financial-services slave Jim Sutherland sums it up: “I’m not really influenced by price because I’ve tasted inexpensive wines that were terrific and expensive wines that I wasn’t wild about.”

Other people mention buying wines based on tastings, but the hazy aftereffects often clouded their memory. Don’t we all hate it when that happens?

Wine

Recommendations

Tamas Estates 2002 Sangiovese San Francisco Bay Livermore Valley — Strawberry and vanilla, like Neopolitan ice cream. Plenty of acids and backbone to please with food as well. $16.

Quivira 2002 Sauvignon Blanc Fig Tree Vineyards — Full-bodied, full-flavored like a Chardonnay, but surprise! It’s Sauvignon Blanc. Vanilla and white peach gush from its elegant drops. $18.

Collierville resident Susan Powers has been catering events throughout the area since the 1980s, but now she and her husband Randy will take the business full-time with Market Café & Catering.

The café is located on Market Street, on the historic town square of Somerville, next door to Powers Jewelers, a business opened by Randy’s grandfather, and just minutes away from Lewis’ Restaurant, which Randy’s other grandparents opened in 1938 in Moscow, Tennessee.

“Randy is the barbecue master,” says Susan. “His grandparents owned Lewis’ Restaurant until it closed in 2000, and that is one thing he learned from them. Everything is going to be homemade. We’re not going to buy smoked turkey; we’re going to smoke whole turkeys.”

The menu will include an assortment of wraps, such as tuna salad made from grilled tuna steak, soups served in fresh-baked bread bowls, and a variety of desserts. Daily lunch specials will feature home-cooking with meat and vegetables.

In addition to prepared meals, customers can pick up “do-it-yourself catering” and gift baskets with goodies and one-of-a-kind gifts made by Powers family members.

“We will have a freezer with crab cakes, stuffed mushrooms, and artichoke dip. So if you’re having a party you can pick up something to serve that’s homemade,” says Susan.

“We’ll have gourmet gifts and gift baskets. My family is very artistic. My aunt and uncle in California make beautiful stained glass, and my cousin makes pottery. My mother-in-law will embroider tea towels and other gifts.”

The café will open around mid-November, with hours, initially, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. The couple plans to expand the hours to offer seafood and steaks on Friday and Saturday nights.

“It’s the country, so we don’t want to get crazy. But I’ve had so many requests for a nice restaurant — comfortable but nice,” Susan says.

For more information on hours or catering, call 901-465-6066.

Calvary Episcopal Church, 102 N. Second Street, continues its 20th year of the “Calvary & the Arts” concert series. Each Wednesday through December 8th (except November 24th), the public is invited to a 30-minute concert featuring local musicians. Following the performance, guests can enjoy lunch prepared by chefs from local restaurants and catering services or by the church’s executive chef, Emmett Bell.

On November 3rd, jazz musician Joyce Cobb will perform with Cool Heat, followed by Bell’s chicken à la king. Also on the menu this month is Capriccio Grill’s lasagna and a performance by international opera singer Kallen Esperian on November 17th.

Concerts begin at 12:05 p.m. and lunch tickets can be purchased for $6 per person at the door. For more information, call 525-6602, ext. 102 or see Calvaryjc.org.

Memphis barbecue chef and restaurateur Craig Blondis has one of the “50 Best Dream Jobs in America,” according to the editors at Men’s Journal magazine. The owner of Central BBQ, 2249 Central Avenue, was featured in the November issue along with a dinosaur hunter, a swimsuit photographer, and a poker player.

When Eric Messinger, author of the article, sat down with editors of the magazine, they made a list of “jobs that capture that adventurous flavor” the magazine represents and “jobs that are really cool,” the writer says.

“Rib shack owner” made the list, so Messinger turned his journalistic eye toward Memphis.

“When you think of a classic rib shack, you think of awesome comfort food. You might walk in and hear your music playing, and they might know your name. I got the feeling that this place captured all of that,” says Messinger. “When I spoke to Craig, he had all those things I was looking for. He himself is at the counter. He just started the restaurant two years ago. He and his partner had been participating in barbecue contests every weekend, so he had a passion. It was a passion that turned into a profession.”

Join the National Kidney Foundation of West Tennessee at the Memphis Botanic Garden for the 10th annual ”Sip Around the World” wine tasting November 5th. Wines from more than 50 wineries will be available for sampling along with food, music, and a silent auction, from 7 to 10 p.m. Tickets cost $50 in advance and $55 at the door. Call 683-6185 for more information. •

As nutrient-rich as they are delicious, hot peppers also trigger an endorphin rush in your brain that’s chemically related to runner’s high and heroin’s kick. Yes, the pepper is truly a friend of the people. Consequently, the people have helped spread peppers from their native South America to everywhere else, especially Asia.

I like to eat peppers every day of the year. So before the summer season whizzes by in a capsicum haze of chiles rellenos and ema datse, I must stock up. This annual effort to squirrel away my yearly pepper needs has led me to something very special: the pickled pepper.

Me without my pickled peppers would be like Eddie Van Halen without his guitar. But being a pickled-pepper star isn’t all groupies and glory. It takes a year of work to amass a year’s supply. Pepper seeds, ordered in winter, take all spring and summer to mature. Garlic must be planted in fall for inclusion in next year’s pickled-pepper jar.

Alternatively, you can go down to a farmer’s market and get what you need there.

As our native predecessors prided themselves on using every part of their kill, so too do I use the entire contents of that pepper jar. The peppers themselves, whether garnished or co-munched (chewed together with your food), provide savory acidic counterbalance to the rich, fatty foods we love. Sometimes I pickle carrots in the jar with peppers, and those carrots are great for co-munching too, having picked up the heat from the peppers. A bite of food, a bite of carrot now chew!

Meanwhile, many a great meal begins with chopped bacon in a pan, followed with chopped pickled peppers. And a pour of pepper-jar vinegar, tangy and sweet and speckled with floating mustard seeds, improves almost any marinade.

My current darling jar is a combo I call hotties and sweeties. It contains hot, red Arledge chili peppers and sweet Klari Baby Cheese peppers, which look like orange tomatoes and taste like candy. The only drawback of the hotties and sweeties is the fact that the minute you crack the lid, the contents fly out of the jar into the mouths of ravenous bystanders. You must guard them with your life.

If you don’t have these particular varieties of pepper at your disposal, don’t despair. When I give you a recipe, what I’m really offering is the truth behind the recipe. It’s your job to play with this truth and tweak it to your liking. There are a lot of peppers out there and much research to be done. Come January, you can order your Arledge and Klari Baby Cheese seeds from FedcoSeeds.com.

In the meantime, there are many hotties and sweeties you can substitute for my choices. Hotties should be red, with the stocky, fleshy build of a jalapeno. Sweeties should be vine-ripened and juicy, never green.

In addition to your peppers, you need the following things to pickle them:

A large canning pot

Mason jars, ideally quart or pint,

with lids and rings

Cider vinegar

Sweetener

Yellow and black mustard seeds

Garlic

Wash the peppers. On a clean cutting board, cut off the tops, just below the leafy collar. Hotties and small sweeties can be left whole. Cut the larger sweet peppers into halves, quarters, or slices. Put the peppers in a big bowl and sprinkle with salt — about three tablespoons per gallon of peppers. Stirring and draining occasionally, let the bowl sit for a few hours in a cool place while the salt pulls moisture from the pepper flesh.

Pack your peppers into clean, sterilized Mason jars, with a few raw cloves of garlic per jar. Leave about 3/4 inch of “head space” between the top of the peppers and the rim of the jar. Add a tablespoon each of yellow and black mustard seeds per quart.

Meanwhile, bring a 50/50 mixture of cider vinegar and water to a simmer. I like cider vinegar because it makes the best-tasting pickles. Sweeten the syrup with sugar, until it tastes a little sweet. Pour the hot syrup into the jars, covering the peppers but still leaving 1/2 inch of head space.

Wipe the rims, put the lids and rings on the jars, and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Remove, cool, and store in a cool dark place.

Repeat until you have over 100 quarts. It still won’t be enough. •

It was nine years ago when Old Millington Winery owners Perry and Carrie Welch took a trip to Napa Valley. Perry was inspired and, upon returning, decided to plant some vines on the couple’s 12-acre Millington spread. Carrie figured her husband would just buy a few vines. He bought 500.

After that, Perry, who was working odd construction jobs, devoted his free time to learning how to tend his vineyard.

“I went around to everyone I knew who grew grapes or made wine,” he says. Perry soon made friends with a vineyard-owning neighbor.

“He told me if I came and helped him pick his grapes, he’d give me half of them, and I could start making wine,” Perry says. “I didn’t have a clue how to make wine, but I had 200 pounds of grapes. I took them in my kitchen and put them in garbage bags and stomped them. I made the worst wine you can imagine.”

Because grape vines don’t produce for the first couple of years, Perry had time to experiment with various fruits. He entered some of his results, such as his apple wine, for judging at the Mid-South Fair. He won several ribbons, and his friends came clamoring.

“I remember on Sunday afternoons, my buddies were hitting me up, saying the liquor stores were closed and they wanted some wine,” Perry says. “One night, after a couple of bottles of wine, I said, ‘Hey, I think we need to open up a winery.’ Carrie must have agreed to it.”

It was 1998 when they began learning all the agricultural and business steps necessary to open a winery. The Welches wanted to control everything, so they invested in larger equipment and built a store, which opened in October 2000.

By then, Perry had produced 500 gallons of their first blend, Maggie’s Rose, named after their daughter who was born the previous January.

These days, the winery has three stainless-steel fermenting tanks capable of holding up to 800 gallons of crushed grapes, a large crusher/de-stemmer that can handle 1,000 pounds of grapes, and a six-spout bottler that bottles more than 100 gallons of wine in 90 minutes.

The Welches and their part-time employees can turn 1,000 red-grape vines, combined with white grapes and fruit concentrates they purchase from other farms, into 3,000 gallons of wine each year. Crush season, as harvest time is known, lasts from August through mid-September. The whites take six months to prepare; reds take eight.

Old Millington’s wine selection includes dry and semi-dry whites, reds, semi-dry blushes, sweet and fruit wines, and red and white ports. Best-sellers are the muscadine and blackberry wines.

A new red wine is currently in production. It’s named Crying Angel, after a statue that once stood in a family cemetery outside of Millington. Humidity made the marble statue sweat, which made the angel appear to be crying. The statue, rumored to be crying for fallen Civil War soldiers, became an urban legend among Perry’s peers, especially, he says, for the guys who wanted to scare their girlfriends.

All Old Millington wines are available exclusively in the store and can be purchased by the bottle or case. Bottles range from $9.50 to $12.

Old Millington Winery is able to sell wine on Sundays, Perry says, because it’s classified as an agriculture business and is not regulated like liquor stores. Perry makes the wine 12 percent alcohol, except for the port, which is 20 to 21 percent because brandy is added to the mixture.

“Twelve percent gives a better shelf life,” he says. “And it will give you a little buzz. Some people say our wine is hangover-proof. I don’t say that, because if you drink too much, it’ll hurt you.”

Perry says he can’t see himself doing anything else, that he enjoys being the face behind the counter. “It gives me the opportunity to talk to people,” he says. “I’ve gotten to know a lot of folks through the winery.”

The Welches intend to keep their business small and hope to one day pass thewinery on to Maggie.

Old Millington Winery is located at 6748 Old Millington Road (873-4114, omwinery@bigriver.net). Hours: Wednesdays-Saturdays 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sundays 1-5 p.m. On Sundays from April through October, the winery offers a concert series featuring local musicians.

Now, spending a lunch hour at Goldsmith’s-Macy’s won’t necessarily mean a shopping spree. With the addition of Cosi, a café opening November 1st in the store at the Oak Court Mall, shoppers can sit down with a sandwich and a cup of java.

Cosi, a New York-based chain with 88 locations in 11 states, joined Federated Department Stores in March to open cafés in 10 locations from Seattle to Miami. Goldsmith’s-Macy’s Oak Court is the second store location to open and the only location slated for Memphis at this time.

The café will be located on the first floor in the southeast corner of the store.

Cosi serves gourmet sandwiches on flat bread that is baked daily. The “Thai Turkey” is accompanied by apples, basil, and red-curry mayo, and the “Turkey Blue” features bacon, sliced eggs, romaine, and a mango-blue-cheese bread. In addition to sandwiches, Cosi offers coffee and tea, breakfast items, soups and salads, and a number of vegetarian choices. For dessert, try an old-fashioned s’more.

“It’s all part of the storewide improvements we’ve been making,” says Annette Askew, director of regional special events and public relations for the store. “Most of the main floor has already been renovated. It’s exciting for us. I think customers will love to sit down and take a break without leaving the store.”

The Germantown Chamber of Commerce will host Taste of the Town Thursday, October 21st, in Germantown Centre’s Great Hall from 6:30 to 9 p.m.

Chefs from about 30 area restaurants and caterers will serve some old favorites. It’s also a great opportunity to try restaurants new to the area, such as Bonefish Grill of Cordova and Sakura Japanese Restaurant of Germantown. And (start salivating now) Dinstuhl’s will offer a flowing chocolate fountain.

“The Butcher Shop always serves beef tenderloin and grilled mushrooms, and P.F. Chang’s will make their fabulous lettuce wraps,” says co-chair Robin Cook. “There’s always plenty of food.”

As a keepsake, guests will receive hand-painted plates to pile high with food and hand-painted wine or martini glasses for beverage tastings at the wine bar, martini bar, and margarita bar.

“We will have a live auction and a silent auction,” says Cook. “One item that’s really neat is a ‘Dozen Dining Delights.’ Twelve restaurants have donated $100 gift certificates, and you can enjoy a fabulous dinner each month for a year. We also have a ride in the FedEx simulator, and Mega World Travel donated two airline tickets to anywhere in the country.”

Eddie Harrison, formerly with the Short Cuts, will keep a relaxing tempo going with soft piano music and singing. While the event is a fund-raiser for the chamber, the Make-A-Wish Foundation also will receive $5,000 of the event’s proceeds to grant the wish of one child.

“This is the fourth year we’ve had the event, so it has grown,” says Cook. “We have more sponsors, more restaurants. We hope to have at least 600 people in attendance. It’s a wonderful networking opportunity to make new friends, meet people, and make new business contacts.”

Tickets cost $40 in advance or $50 at the door. Call 755-1200 for reservations.

Seasons at the White Church is hosting a four-course wine dinner. Each course, specially prepared by Chef Brian Harwell, will be paired with a selection of Mazzocco wines.

The prix-fixe menu will feature crispy Alaskan king salmon, roast duck, and Zinfandel-braised Niman Ranch short ribs. Persimmon pudding cake with orange sauce and rum-raisin ice cream will be served for dessert.

The evening, part of the restaurant’s fall wine series, begins at 6:45 p.m., and the cost is $49 per person. White Church is located in Collierville, 196 North Main at Poplar. Call 854-6433 for reservations.

Heritage Place Retirement Community, located at 2990 Hickory Hill, will serve a pancake breakfast to benefit the Red Cross Saturday, October 23rd, from 7:30 to 10 a.m.

Although breakfast is free, a $5 donation is suggested. Proceeds will benefit the Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund, which aided nearly 417,000 people affected by recent hurricanes.

The breakfast is a nationwide effort by Heritage Place’s parent company, Holiday Retirement Corp., to raise $250,000 through its nearly 300 retirement communities.

For more information, call 794-8857.

When Jimmy Ishii opened Sekisui, the first sushi bar in Memphis, he introduced the city to a taste of Japan. Now, 15 years later, Ishii, by year end, will have opened 15 restaurants, including one in New Orleans, one in Jacksonville, Florida, and another Memphis addition, Blue Fin, due in November at Peabody Place downtown.

Also in November, Ishii will host his second gourmet tour of Japan. During the eight-day trip, guests will experience the frenetic pace of ultra-modern Tokyo, a relaxing retreat at a mountainside inn, and meals from the country’s best restaurants.

Trip-goers must have an affinity for seafood. Fish will dominate the menu from the first morning’s breakfast, sushi at the Tukiji Fish Market, to the last night spent restaurant-hopping in Osaka.

“The Tukiji Fish Market is at least 10 times the size of The Pyramid,” Ishii says. “It opens at 4 every morning, and people come to buy the freshest fish.”

While in Tokyo, guests will sit down to nine courses of crab at the Crab House and will have the opportunity to cook over lava stone. Those brave enough will court danger by eating fugu, a poisonous blowfish.

The group will then travel west by train to the volcano Mt. Fuji and cross Lake Hakone by boat. In contrast to the accommodations at the contemporary high-rise hotel in Tokyo, everyone will spend the night in a single room at a ryokan, a traditional Japanese inn, that is near the Hakone National Park.

The room features a low table with floor cushions. A glass wall affords a view of the lake and Mt. Fuji in the distance. And while the furnishings are minimalist, the service is lavish. A hostess dressed in traditional Japanese attire will attend to guests’ every need, from bringing food or drink to placing tatami mats on the floor for sleeping.

The inn also offers spring-fed baths, which are heated by the volcano, for men and women.

“This is the best time to visit Hakone,” Ishii says. “The trees are changing color; there’s not much humidity. Sometimes in April and May, it rains a lot, but November is the best time to go.”

Although Ishii moved to the United States at age 18 to attend St. Louis University, he maintains a second home in Japan. He and his family, a wife and three daughters, live in Memphis, but they travel to Japan at least four times a year.

After Hakone, the group proceeds to Kyoto and Nara.

“Kyoto is a very historical city, and Nara was the capital of Japan about 1,300 years ago,” Ishii says. “There are many ancient shrines and temples.”

In addition to days spent seeing the sights of Japan, Ishii fills the nights with optional entertainment. The group can see a Kabuki play or enjoy geisha performances. The final night, Ishii takes everyone to Osaka’s New Half Show House, a bar that features transvestite cabaret performances.

Robert Chapman, owner of Molly’s La Casita and a long-time friend of Ishii’s, went on the first trip last year. He says the situation was ideal, touring all day and then eating dinner at fine restaurants.

“One night, while staying in Tokyo, we took a train to a distant suburb,” says Chapman. “It was a misty night, and we were walking down narrow cobblestone streets. All of the buildings were older wooden structures. After about a five-minute walk from the train station, Jimmy stopped in front of a door that looked like all the other carved wooden doors. He knocked on the door, and it was flung open, and there was a little restaurant inside.”

Chapman also took a stab at that poisonous fish, fugu. “It was fabulous,” he says, “and I lived to tell the tale.” •

Through a partnership between Ishii’s travel agency, Sekisui Travel, and Japan Airlines, the trip, including airfare, accommodations, nightly dining, and some lunches and breakfasts, is offered at a package price of $2,500 per person for double occupancy, $2,800 for single occupancy. Some additional charges apply for in-country transportation and optional entertainment. There are still spaces available for the upcoming tour. For more information or to make reservations, call 747-0001.

BRIDGES presents an opportunity to dress to the hilt, dine in style, and dance the night away at the “Raise the Roof” gala October 23rd. The fund-raiser is the grand finale in a series of events to celebrate the opening of the new BRIDGES Center, 477 N. Fifth St. in North Memphis.

“We are within a block of where BRIDGES started in 1922,” says Antoinette Cheney, associate director of development for the Memphis-based organization. “We’re back home in an area that’s growing by leaps and bounds.”

Guests will be able to tour the 55,000-square-foot facility that was designed by architect Coleman Coker. The building features a 40-foot climbing wall and is made of recycled and environmentally friendly products.

“The building is part of MLGW’s green energy program, ECO Build,” says Cheney. “The carpeting is made of post-consumer recycled plastic. We have solar-heated water, and we used bamboo for much of the wood. It fit right into what we wanted to do.”

The evening will begin at 7 p.m. with cocktails and appetizers, while guests bid on vacation packages, art by local artists, and other items donated for the event. A beef tenderloin dinner with all the accompaniments will be served around 8 p.m., followed by dessert and dancing to the Jim Johnson Orchestra until midnight.

“It’s an opportunity to come and celebrate with BRIDGES, the opening of the kid-friendliest building in Memphis,” Cheney says.

Folk’s Folly restaurant is a sponsor of the event, though the food will be prepared by Another Road Side Attraction catering. BRIDGES is a nonprofit organization that offers leadership and job training to about 9,000 youth, ages 12 to 24. Tickets for the event are $125, or $1,000 for a table for eight. Call 452-5600 to purchase tickets.

In September, the Flying Saucer Draught Emporium launched its own straw poll, “Vote with Beer.” The national program, sponsored by Samuel Adams, lets people vote by ordering a pint of beer served in a glass with a picture of Kerry or Bush.

Each glass purchased for $2.50 counts as one vote. The scores are tabulated daily and displayed in the restaurant.

“It’s pretty strange how popular it’s been,” says manager Kirk Caliendo. “We ran out of glasses this week and sold IOUs, but we received another shipment and will have them in stock up to the election.”

O Kypos’ business has grown so rapidly in the first year that head chef and owner John Gegumis has hired two new sous chefs.

“We are the only traditional Greek restaurant in Memphis,” says Gegumis. “We are growing. This is the time of year supposedly when the restaurant industry dies down. We have not felt that at all.”

Michael White comes to O Kypos from Grisanti’s restaurant where he was a sous chef for five years.

The second chef Gegumis hired is Arek Kayranski. Kayranski, who is originally from Poland, decided to stay in Memphis after completing a work-exchange program. Before coming to the United States, Kayranski owned a restaurant in Poland and taught at a culinary school.

Both chefs will be learning traditional Greek recipes that Gegumis, a Memphis native, acquired while living in Greece for six years.

“The menu comes from my family’s restaurant in Greece,” says Gegumis. “I brought the recipes with me to open my own restaurant. Arek is a natural, being from Europe, and Michael is just so dedicated to the cooking arts that he’s very comfortable learning new recipes.

“We serve a large range of seafood — lobster, steamed crab, or garlic shrimp — and the traditional casseroles like moussaka or pastitsio,” says Gegumis. “One of the biggest highlights on our menu is lamb. We have several ways we prepare it: roast lamb, lamb chops, and smoked lamb.”

Kypos, which is Greek for “the garden,” opened on the ground floor of the Comfort Inn at Front and Adams downtown in September 2003.

Smokey Bones, a barbecue chain, will celebrate the grand opening of its newest Memphis location October 19th on Hwy. 64 near Wolfchase. “The menu will have the same genuine barbecue, with a selection of American classics,” says John Cotton, manager of the Winchester location. “It will have a different layout. It’s more of a lodge setting with two big fireplaces.” •

Here we are in small-town America. Eighteen-wheelers rattle through town, while mom makes a quick stop at the store to pick up a few items for dinner. There’s a family at the local drive-in. The kids hop on the family truck’s tailgate to wave at the big-rig drivers and slurp shakes too big to hold with one hand.

Sounds way too cliched, doesn’t it? But here we are in Hernando, Mississippi, and there are the kids up on the tailgate of the truck parked in front of Velvet Cream.

Eileen Dznowski and her grandchildren, Hunter and Madison, are at Velvet Cream today. Dznowski remembers the days well when drive-ins like Velvet Cream (also known by locals as “The Dip”) were the norm, not franchised fast-food restaurants. The drive-in takes her back. “I used to work at a place like this in Biloxi, Mississippi, when I was a teenage girl. Everyone would go to Bell’s Snowballs, and we sold the fluffiest and most flavorful snow cones,” she says.

Velvet Cream is owned by Tommy Flinn, whose father bought the restaurant in 1962 from Red Congar who opened it in 1947. The drive-in was added in 1977.

Flinn knows you have to love this business to be in it as long as he has, and he has been in it pretty much from day-one. “My family owned Delta Cream across from the Blue and White on Highway 65 in Tunica before they bought this place,” he says. “My parents pretty much set up my baby bed in the creamery,” Flinn says.

The employees at Velvet Cream — with few exceptions, the drive-in is pretty much run by girls — share their boss’ quirky sense of humor. On the kitchen door there’s a sign that reads, “All our items are fat free. We don’t charge for the fat.”

Velvet Cream has everything an authentic drive-in should have and then some. Burgers, sandwiches, and a list of shakes, sundaes, slushes, and freezes that seems endless, as does the flavor combinations: vanilla and hot fudge, butterscotch and Butterfinger, mint chocolate chip, the Chocaholic, the Caribbean Paradise and Electric Banana, the Tahitian Medicine Man, Cherry Redneck, bubblegum, Barney purple, orange blossom, and cactus juice.

“We have 58 differently flavored shakes, not counting special requests, and we try to add three new flavors every year,” says Flinn.

Velvet Cream also claims to be “home of the old-fashioned hamburger” and leaves no doubt what you’re getting yourself into when ordering, say, a “Heartburn Hotel” with tater tots and fried pickles.

Being in the ice cream business all year can be tough because sales drop about 50 percent during the winter. Still, Flinn always has a smile on his face and never gets tired of trying to improve business. The drive-in’s fence is decorated for the holidays because, according to Flinn, there is nothing more boring than waiting for your food while slowly moving through the drive-in.

The decorating started 10 years ago, when McDonald’s arrived in Hernando, and Flinn tried to keep customers interested by being different. A free quart of ice cream with a $20 order and a daily lunchtime fax to local companies to boost the call-in orders are other ways Flinn tries to keep business up. When ice cream and shakes are not the top sellers, Flinn markets his sandwiches and burgers.

Flinn’s latest idea is to set up a menu board at the entrance of the drive-in to make ordering easier. But no matter what marketing he tries, most customers come because they like the food.

Flinn’s secret to success? “Everything’s got to be fried. Even if it’s grilled, it always has to be fried a little bit.” n

Velvet Cream is located at 2290 Hwy. 51 South, (662) 429-6540.

by Simone Barden

Love To

Love You

A homage to Zinfandel.

Most people think sweet when Zinfandel is mentioned, owing to its blushing cousin, white Zinfandel. Originally planted by Italian immigrants, the Zinfandel grape almost went extinct until Bob Trinchero of Sutter Home created this wildly popular blush wine in the early ’80s. But Zinfandel also sires gutsy, red juice, jammy and full of personality. The 1990s saw a resurgence in the popularity of dry, red Zinfandel, and pioneer wineries, such as Ravenswood and Ridge, began releasing full-bodied wines ready for the big time. At first, snooty Cabernet lovers shunned them, calling them brash and untamed, but Zin, with its wafting fruit and irresistible charm, won many over. One smell of its raspberries, blueberries, or cherry, and you’re hooked.

Since then, winemakers have gotten creative with Zinfandel, crafting lighter styles as well as late-harvest dessert wines and ports. By definition, Zinfandels are heavier than Merlots but not as tannic as Cabernet Sauvignon. Many “bigger” (heavy tannins and high acid) Zins are amenable to aging, capable of growing smoother and more complex with a few years of lying on their side. But most of them are fine for guzzling as soon as you hit the door. Here are many of my favorites:

2001 Robert Biale Zinfandel Napa Valley — The lower tier of the fantastic Biale line of wines, this one packs a fruit wallop of jammy blackberry and cherry mixed with some earth and cedar. $29.

Cellar #8 2001 Zinfandel North Coast — Like tasting a fresh, tart raspberry as it explodes in your mouth. Follows up with a touch of vanilla oak. A fantastic deal. $11.

Chase 2000 Zinfandel, Hayne Vineyard Napa Valley — Unbelievably kick-ass wine. Like dipping a cherry into chocolate fondue but better, if you can imagine. Elegance and grace, silk and leather. At this price, it better be good, right? $48.

Edmeades 2001 Late Harvest Zinfandel Alden Vineyard Mendocino Ridge — The grapes on this one must’ve been super-ripe, because the alcohol is noticeably high (almost 17 percent). A dessert wine sweet with raisins, toffee, and lasting flavor long after the sip. $28.

Joel Gott 2002 Zinfandel California — Smooth, fun Zin- drinking at a great price. Earthy on the nose, with cherry and blackberry on the tongue. A nice touch of oak in there too. $15.

Rombauer 2001 Zinfandel El Dorado Vineyard Napa Valley — Damn, these guys are consistent. Every year, another great Zin. Concentrated blackberry jam and ripe plum, hint of caramel and spicy black pepper. $20.

Rosenblum Cellars 2000 Zinfandel Annette’s/Rhodes Vineyard Redwood Valley — Buy anything with Rosenblum on the label and be assured of great wine. As close to port aroma as you can get, this wine is dark, chewy, and offers plenty to mull over. Chock-full of baked plums, blackberry, coffee, and chocolate. $28.

Tobin James 2002 Ballastic Zinfandel Paso Robles — Might be hard to find, but worth the effort. Bright, sunny red fruits balance out somewhat astringent tannins, but you won’t really care. $19.

My friend Tshewang is from Bhutan. The people of his tiny Buddhist nation in the Himalayas are generally low-key, polite, and soft-spoken; they enjoy praying for universal harmony and the happiness of all beings. Despite such mild manners, there is nothing mild about the Bhutanese diet. They eat hot chili peppers the way many Americans eat French fries — in big piles.

By the time most Bhutanese kids are 5 years old, they are heartily wolfing down flaming platefuls of ema datse, a dish of chilis and cheese. When you eat ema datse, your nose and eyes start to run. You stop eating, but your head only gets hotter. It is painful and a little scary. At the same time, it’s exhilarating. Hot chili peppers trigger an addictive release of endorphins in your brain.

On a recent visit, Tshewang taught me how to make ema datse. We didn’t know which kind of cheese to use (since we couldn’t find any Bhutanese cheese), so we made three batches, identical except for the cheese, and invited my friends over for a trial. We tried feta, mozzarella, and cheddar kurds. Tshewang selected feta as the best. My friends — when they were finally able to speak and think clearly — agreed. Here’s the recipe:

Slice hot peppers — like jalapeno, serrano, artledge, or cayenne — lengthwise and put them in a pan with canola oil. If you want, you can add chopped onions and ginger, though you may not be able to taste them. Turn the heat to medium and cover. After cooking for a few minutes, add a little water and put a lid on it. Stir occasionally until the peppers are almost cooked and then crumble feta cheese into the pan. Stir it up and serve with rice.

(Note: While making this dish, please beware that hands that have handled hot peppers are dangerous.)

This time of year, with so many peppers in season, I make ema datse all the time. Another dish I like to make is phagshapa, which is basically fried bacon with sliced radishes. The other day I was in the pantry and I noticed a few jars of pickled radishes that I had made earlier this summer. As I fondled that pickle jar, I had a series of culinary epiphanies.

Epiphany #1: Make a combination of ema datse and phagshapa, using my pickled radishes instead of fresh ones.

So I’m cooking some chopped bacon in the pan with a bit of canola oil. I add some chopped hot peppers and some chopped pickled radish. I add chopped ginger and onion. It’s cooking, smelling very good, and I’m about to add the feta.

But all of a sudden, for some inexplicable reason, I’m not in the mood for feta. I want coconut milk. This realization comes alongside Epiphany #2, which reveals to me that there’s no reason I can’t switch gears at this point and make a coconut curry. So I leave Bhutan and head south for an evening in Thailand. Once I stir in a tablespoon of turmeric, I’m committed.

Then I add a can of coconut milk and a tablespoon of fish sauce and squeeze in the juice of one lime. At this point, my housemates are gathered at the kitchen doorway, begging with their eyes and drooling on the floor. As a final touch, I harvest some small basil plants from the garden and toss them in whole.

As we eat the curry, I realize that this is the first time I have made a coconut curry that really, truly, totally hits the spot. It’s been good before but always not quite there. This time, nobody can deny that I knocked it out of the park.

Eventually, I did get around to making that phagsha-datse I’d envisioned. I started the same way as above, and when I got to where previously I added the turmeric, I instead added a teaspoon of the Indian spice mixture garam masala (available in many stores or online). After mixing that together I added the feta. And well, I wouldn’t be telling you all of this if it wasn’t spectacular.

Tshewang is back in Bhutan right now, eating ema datse that makes mine seem about as spicy as cold oatmeal. I don’t know what he would think of my adding garam masala to a mixture of phagshapa and ema datse. But seeing as India lies smack between Bhutan and Thailand, I think the geographic precedent is in place. I know the flavor was. •

This weekend is filled with festivals, which means it’s also filled with food. In Collierville, the 12th annual Partners in Preservation Party will kick off at 7 p.m. Saturday, September 25th, at the Historic Town Square.

The event theme is “The Lizard Lounge,” so drag the bell bottoms, stack shoes, and butterfly-collar shirts out of the closet.

“It’s one of the signature events of Collierville,” says Laura Todd, executive director of Main Street Collierville. ”It’s our fund-raiser that helps us put on other events throughout the year and fund activities such as promoting and protecting our historic square.”

“Taste of the Town” booths will be set up around the square, featuring 25 area restaurants, including Yia Yia’s, Seasons at the White Church, and the Half Shell. There will also be barbecue from Corky’s and the Rendezvous, chocolates from Dinstuhl’s, and ice cream from Lickety Split.

“It will be a great party,” says Todd. “There will be a hospitality train at the depot sponsored by the Grizzlies.”

In keeping with the theme, the Gecko Brothers will perform songs by the Commodores and KC & The Sunshine Band in front of a metallic backdrop. Bubble and fog machines and disco lighting will complete the mood.

In Confederate Park, tables will be set for 10, costing $40 per person, which will cover three beverage tickets and food from the booths.

To reserve a table or purchase advance tickets, call 853-1666.

In Midtown, Evergreen Presbyterian Church will celebrate all things Scottish with its fund-raiser, Clanjamfry, on September 24th through 26th.

The three-day festival will feature an invitation-only dinner on Friday. A live performance Friday and activities Saturday and Sunday will be open to the public.

Friday, from 8 to 10 p.m., Ceilidh, a traditional Scottish dance and music, will be held at the McCallum Ballroom at Rhodes College.

Saturday kicks off with a 5K run (or walk) through Overton Park. The Scottish Faire will open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on the lawn of the church at 613 University, across from Rhodes College.

“The faire will feature Scottish foods, vendors selling crafts, a children’s area with games, clan booths, and music,” says volunteer David Canon.

In addition to American foods like hamburgers and hot dogs, traditional Scottish food, such as Scots pie (a meat pastry), shortbread, and haggis will be served in the food tent.

“Haggis is a sausage traditionally cooked in a sheep’s intestine. The ones we have will not be cooked in that way,” says Canon.

The festival began in 1999 to celebrate the history of the Presbyterian Church, which originated in Scotland in 1560.

The sound of bagpipes will set the mood during the day, and an evening concert will be presented in cooperation with the Mid-South Celtic Arts Alliance. Calasaig from Scotland will perform in the church sanctuary at 7 p.m. Saturday. Tickets for this event are $20 per person.

On Sunday a church service called the “Kirkin of the Tartans” a blessing of tartans will be open to visitors at 10:55 a.m. A Southern-style potluck dinner will be served on the lawn afterward. This dinner is free for those who attend the service.

“There will be plenty to eat so visitors don’t have to worry about bringing anything,” Canon says.

Proceeds from the weekend’s festivities support the Recreation Outreach Ministry of the church to fund after-school programs, tutoring, and athletic activities for youth.

Admission Saturday is $5 for adults, $4 for seniors, $2 for students and military personnel with ID, and free for children under age 5.

For more information, contact the church at 274-3740.

Bluefin Edge Cuisine and Sushi lounge is coming to Peabody Place and will be located in the former site of Prime Minister’s. Though initial reports slated the restaurant to open in September, according to Sekisui founder, Jimmy Ishii, Bluefin will open its doors in November. •